The Most Amazing Person in the World
"Damn it, Chen Lu, why did you drink so much?" Jiang Chao cursed.
Chen Lu slowly got up, shook his head, and shot back, "Why did you drink so much yesterday?"
Jiang Chao paused. "I was in a bad mood."
"I was in a bad mood too."
Hearing that, Jiang Chao had been about to drag him down and show him what suffering in this world meant, but he gave up when he saw Chen Lu's somber expression.
He could only scratch his head in curiosity and sit down on the edge of his bed.
The dorm curtains were still drawn, and only a few rays of morning light slipped through the gap between them, spilling onto the floor.
Jiang Chao silently gazed at the patches of light on the floor and continued thinking about his own affairs.
Chen Lu picked up his phone and exchanged good mornings with Liang Zhirou, taking the chance to ask what filling she had put in the steamed buns she had made.
Then he suddenly noticed something unusual.
Mo Yuqing had also sent him a good-morning message.
He thought about it and decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.
As for letting go, they had grown up together, and he had liked her for so long. It really wasn't something he could just do at will.
But as for whether he wanted things to go back to how they had been, he truly didn't.
Come to think of it, some people got tired of each other after seven years together. The fact that he had kept pursuing her for seven years... was pretty absurd.
"Hey, have you made up your mind or not? I'm really not asking you to come work for me, so you don't need to worry so much."
Jiang Chao interrupted his thoughts. "If you don't like putting it that way, as long as you're willing, I'll work with you instead. But in that case, you'll have to put in some capital, or we won't be able to justify it to the people working for us."
After all, Jiang Chao had brought everyone in. It wasn't realistic for Chen Lu to be on equal footing with him, the biggest investor, while doing neither the coding nor the art.
He might not mind, but the others certainly wouldn't stand for it, and then they wouldn't be of one mind.
Although Jiang Chao kept trying to recruit Chen Lu like a child chasing a fanciful dream, in truth, his mind was as clear as a mirror.
Chen Lu stared at him in shock. Only after making sure he wasn't dreaming did he speak. "Holy shit! You're actually serious?"
"I am." Jiang Chao met his gaze, his eyes firm.
"Let me think about it some more."
"What exactly are you afraid of?" Jiang Chao glanced around and, after making sure there was no one else in the dorm, continued, "Over the past few years, the two of us have been closer than anyone. You still don't trust me?"
Chen Lu did trust him. Back when his account had been stolen, the scammer had sent out a mass message asking to borrow money.
Before long, Jiang Chao had rushed over to him with a bank card, breathlessly saying it held fifty thousand yuan, which he had just asked his dad for.
Call him stupid, yet he had chosen to hand the money over in person.
Call him smart, yet he really had believed the message.
When Chen Lu said nothing, Jiang Chao slapped his thigh and lay down on his bed. "Fine, I'll make three visits to the thatched cottage if I have to. I'm determined to bring you, my Zhuge Liang, on board."
"It's myself I don't trust. Why are you so eager to trick me into joining you?" Chen Lu was genuinely curious.
"What do you mean, trick? Of course it's because I trust you," Jiang Chao said earnestly. "You're the only one who doesn't know your own strengths. I've talked to my girlfriend about this in private, and even she has no objections. You really do know more than any of us. You just kept lowering yourself for so long while you were pursuing Mo Yuqing..."
His tone turned grave. "You should lift your head and take a look at yourself."
"Got it."
Chen Lu nodded and continued getting ready to go out.
"Have you seen American Dreams in China?" He pulled the door open and looked at Jiang Chao with a mischievous grin.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Never start a company with your best buddy!" Chen Lu joked, already out the door.
Staring at the tightly shut door, Jiang Chao still couldn't resist swearing. "Screw you!"
"I'll be waiting for you!"
Chen Lu arrived at the sports field, ready to watch the drama club's final rehearsal.
The school anniversary was tomorrow. After practicing during the day, they still had to hold a dress rehearsal that evening on the stage that had been set up.
His opinion of these social terrorists had changed somewhat.
At least they were a group of social terrorists with dreams. The school had no spare space, so they braved the blazing heat to rehearse on the sports field.
Liang Zhirou had already been waiting there a long time when Chen Lu arrived, which surprised him a little. This seemed to be the first time he had arrived so late.
Perhaps because today was the drama club's last day rehearsing this performance, the girl hadn't stayed in her usual spot. Instead, she had moved closer to the front and was quietly watching them perform.
Lin Miaomiao stood beside her, a deeply satisfied smile on her face.
As soon as she spotted Chen Lu, Liang Zhirou hurried over and handed him the breakfast she had brought.
But the smell of alcohol made her frown.
"C-could you drink less from now on...?"
Only after speaking did Liang Zhirou realize she had unconsciously taken hold of Chen Lu's arm. She quickly let go.
Even though she was very shy, she didn't step away. She still forced herself to stand there, looking at Chen Lu with a hint of stubbornness as she waited for his answer.
"Okay." Chen Lu found it amusing and agreed with a smile.
This silly girl was simply adorable, so terribly shy yet still forcing herself to meet his eyes.
Hearing his answer, she hurriedly lowered her head, feeling her cheeks burn.
Chen Lu then ate his breakfast while watching the group of social terrorists rehearse with Liang Zhirou.
Chen Lu was a little surprised.
He had to admit, their acting was looking more and more polished. Their command of their lines alone was unlike that of college students.
They could easily leave plenty of young idols in the dust.
He could tell as much from Liang Zhirou's engrossed gaze.
After they had run through the whole performance once, a bespectacled young man came over and greeted Chen Lu enthusiastically.
Though he had changed his hairstyle and was wearing a Zhongshan suit, Chen Lu recognized him as the one in charge of writing the script.
"That's quite a distinctive look you've got," Chen Lu joked.
The young man smiled. Seeing Liang Zhirou pressed close to Chen Lu with her head lowered, he thought it over several times but ultimately didn't greet her.
Instead, he said, "Senior, make sure you come watch us. By rights, you deserve some credit for this too."
Chen Lu was puzzled. "What did I do?"
"The script! We had no experience to begin with, and our understanding of modern history wasn't thorough enough, so we didn't get the details right. Even our faculty adviser thought the version we revised with you was good!"
People with this kind of hobby seemed to take such things very seriously, and the young man smiled happily.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Lu saw the shy Liang Zhirou beside him looking proud to share in his achievement after hearing that. He smiled. "Okay."
"Then I'll get back to rehearsing!"
Watching the people before him sweat for what they wanted to do, Chen Lu quietly thought about what Jiang Chao had told him.
"Liang Zhirou," Chen Lu called. The girl immediately turned to look at him.
Without asking what he wanted, she prepared to listen patiently.
"Could it be that I actually have quite a few good points?"
Chen Lu asked in a low voice.
"Mm." Liang Zhirou nodded slightly and said timidly, "Lots of them..."
Although the girl didn't dare keep looking at him, her tone was utterly earnest.
That really was what she thought.
Chen Lu, who had shone into her life like a ray of light; Chen Lu, who had stepped forward twice to help her; Chen Lu, who would tell her, "I'm here"...
He really was the most amazing person she had ever met.